Venetian blind pull cord and tape fasteners



Oct. 23, 1956 2 l6 Ida/aha C. fa/7765' INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent '0 VENETIAN BLIND PULL CORD AND TAPE FASTENERS Edward C. James, Houston, Tex. Application September 11, 1952, Serial No. 309,048

4 Claims. (Cl. 160-173) This invention relates to Venetian blind bottom rails, and more particularly to the pull cord and tape fastening means thereof.

An object of the inventionis to provide an improved and simplified pull cord and tape fastening means for use with a Venetian blind bottom rail, which is small and compact in construction, and which provides a neat outward appearance.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved fastening means as above set forth, which is simple and economical to manufacture, and is reliable in use.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved fastening means as above characterized, which may be easily and quickly operated or actuated, resulting in a speedy and economical assembly of the pull cord and tapes to the bottom rail.

A feature of the invention is the provision of improved fastening means as above set forth, which do not require any tools to secure the pull cord and tape buckle in proper position on the bottom rail.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of an improved fastening means for the tapes of a Venetian blind, which may be easily and quickly assembled to the bottom rail.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved and simple method which may be utilized in attaching the tape fastener or buckle to the bottom rail.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a Venetian blind bottom rail having the present improved pull cord and tape-attaching means.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the tapeattaching means of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the tape-attaching means or buckle of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary bottom view of the bottom rail and attached tape buckle, the tape being removed to show the securement of the pull cord, and portions of the buckle being broken away to reveal the attaching tabs thereof.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken through the bottom rail and tape buckle, illustrating the insertion of a crimping tool and the method of attaching the buckle to the bottom rail.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary bottom view of the tape buckle and bottom rail, illustrating the cord fastening means of the rail.

Referring to Figs. 1 through 3 there is shown a hollow sheet metal bottom rail 10 formed with inwardly extended strengthening ribs 11, upstanding side flanges 12, and a top or cover strip 13 held in place by inturned edges 14 of the flanges 12.

As shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 4 the bottom rail 10 has an underwall 15, said wall being provided with openings 16 by which the tape securing means of the invention may be assembled to it. This securing means, Fig. 3, comprises a buckle 17 having a generally flat rectangular body 18 provided, on a pair of oppo- 2,767,786 Patented Oct. 23, 1956 site edges, with flanges 19. At their ends the flanges 19 have openings 20 to receive pivot fingers 21 of toothed jaws 22 which extend against the ends of the body 18, between the ends of the flanges 19 thereof.

The jaws 22 have flat operating extensions 23, each extension having flanges 24 extended along a pair of opposite edges and said flanges being spaced apart a greater distance than the flanges 19 and being adapted to extend along the outside of the flanges 19 when the jaws 22 are gripping tapes 25, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The flanges 19 have additional openings 26 cooperable with nibs 27 provided in the flanges 24 for the purpose of constituting detent means whereby the jaws 22 and extensions 23 thereof may be yieldably held in their operative positions as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The body 18 of the buckle 17 has ears 28 arranged to extend through the openings 16 in the bottom surface or wall 15 of the rail 10. The cars 28 are bendable and may be clinched over on the inside of the rail as shown in Fig- 5 for the purpose of attaching and assembling the buckle 17 to the bottom rail.

In accordance with the invention novel means and methods are provided by which the ears 28 may be quickly and easily clinched or crimped over the bottom wall 15 of the rail. Referring to Fig. 5 a hook-shaped tool 29 is illustrated, arranged to be inserted into an opening 16 after the buckle 17 has been applied to the bottom wall 15 of the rail with the ears 28 extending through the openings 16. The tool 29 may be swung from the dotted line position in Fig. 5 to the full line position thereof whereby the hook 30 of the tool will clinch or bend over the car 28. Thus the buckle 17 may be quickly and easily securely assembled to the rail 10.

In accordance with the invention, simple and improved means are provided for attaching the pull cord 31 of the blind to the bottom rail 10. This means comprises an opening 32 in the cover strip 13, and a pair of openings 33 and 34 in the bottom wall 15 of the rail 10. The openings 33 and 34 are roughly of key-hole shape, that is, they have large circular portions to admit the cord 31 and portions of reduced width in which the cord can be wedged or pinched. The reduced portion 35 of the hole 33 preferably extends in a direction toward the hole or opening 34, and the reduced portion 36 of the opening 34 extends in a direction which makes an acute angle with a line passing through the centers, approximately, of the holes 33 and 34.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 4 the pull cord 31 is passed downward through the opening 32 in the cover strip 13, then brought through the openings 33 and 34 in the bottom wall 15 of the rail 10. The cord 31 is pinched in the reduced areas of the openings 33 and 34 as shown, thus securely anchoring it to the bottom rail. The body 18 of the buckle 17 has a central slot 37 providing clearance for the end portion of the pull cord 31 which is secured in the openings 33 and 34.

I have thus provided by the present invention, as set forth above, an improved and simplified fastening means by which the pull cord 31 and the tapes 25 may be easily and quickly secured to the bottom rail 10 of a Venetian blind. Also, I have provided, by virtue of the hooked tool 29 for crimping the ears 28 of the buckle 17 on the inside of the rail, an improved means and method for securing the buckle in place. Operation of the buckle 17 is made easy by the provision of the outwardly disposed flanges 24 of the jaws 22, since a screw driver or other blade may be readily used to pry open the jaws, by applying the tool between the flanges and the bottom wall 15 of the rail 10, and giving the tool a twist.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Iclairn:

1. A tape buckle for attachment to the undersurface of a hollow metal bottom rail of a Venetian blind, comprising a sheet metal body having depending flanges along one pair of opposite edges; jaws pivotally mounted on said flanges for securing a tape to the buckle, said jaws having generally fiat operating extensions adapted to be actuated by the fingers of a user, said extensions each having flanges along a pair of opposite edges and said flanges of the extensions being spaced apart slightly more than the flanges of the body and extending along the outside of the body flanges when the jaws are positioned to secure the tape, and releasable detent means holding said jaws in tape-securing position.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the releasable detent means comprises cooperable detent means on the flanges of the body and extensions, to yieldably hold the extension flanges in the said positions extending along the outside of the body flanges.

3. In a Venetian blind, a hollow bottom rail having an opening in its upper wall to admit a pull cord, and having a pair of openings in its lower wall, disposed adjacent said first named opening, the openings in the lower wall being substantially larger than the diameter of the pull cord to admit the same, and each opening having References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 381,018 Jones Apr. 10, 1888 1,464,942 King Aug. 14, 1923 1,638,282 Wood Aug. 9, 1937 2,114,057 Lorentzen Apr. 12, 1938 2,223,403 Burns Dec. 3, 1940 2,258,647 Haase Oct. 14, 1941 2,316,950 Goeller Apr. 20, 1943 2,482,036 Stutz Sept. 13, 1949 2,502,028 Rosenbaurn Mar. 28, 1950 2,618,329 Nelson Nov. 18, 1952 2,638,025 Nelson May 12, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 455,940 Germany Feb. 13, 1928 

